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07 May 2012, 070512, offence, political offence, politicians, Polling, polls, stand down
Politicians Accused of an Offence
Q. In general, if a politician is accused of an offence, do you think they should stand down from the positions they hold or should they be allowed to continue in their positions until a decision is made about their guilt or innocence?
Total
Vote Labor
Vote Lib/Nat
Vote Greens
Should stand down from their positions 62%
50%
73%
46%
Should be allowed to continue in their positions 27%
41%
20%
39%
Don’t know 10%
9%
8%
15%
62% think that if a politician is accused of an offence, they should stand down from the positions they hold and 27% think should they be allowed to continue in their positions until a decision is made about their guilt or innocence.
All demographic and voter groups were more likely to think they should stand down – although Labor (41%) and Greens (39%) voters recorded the highest support for allowing them to continue. Older respondents were more likely to think they should stand down – those aged 55+ split 72% stand down/23% continue and those aged 18-34 split 51% stand down/36% continue.
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2012, 2012 Outlook, Bob Brown, Julia Gillard, kevin rudd, leadership, malcolm turnbull, politicians, Polling, polls, tony abbott
2012 Outlook – Politicians
Q. Do you think 2012 will be a good or bad year for each of the following politicians?
Total good Dec 10
Total bad Dec10
Total good Total bad Very good Good Neither good nor bad Bad Very bad Don’t know Julia Gillard 28% 36% 19% 56% 4% 15% 17% 29% 27% 9% Tony Abbott 29% 27% 24% 38% 6% 18% 29% 24% 14% 10% Kevin Rudd 21% 30% 30% 25% 5% 25% 35% 17% 8% 10% Malcolm Turnbull 20% 21% 22% 22% 3% 19% 42% 17% 5% 14% Bob Brown 20% 30% 16% 39% 2% 14% 31% 20% 19% 14% Overall, there were negative expectations for the three party leaders – Julia Gillard (-37% net), Tony Abbott (-14%) and Bob Brown (-23%) while respondents were more evenly divided over Kevin Rudd (+5%) and Malcolm Turnbull (-).
45% of Labor voters expect Julia Gillard to have a good year and 47% of Liberal/National voters expect Tony Abbott to have a good year.
Compared to expectations 12 months ago, respondents were somewhat less positive about all party leaders – Julia Gillard has dropped form net -8% to net -37%, Tony Abbott from +2% to -14% and Bob Brown from -10% to -23%.
Comparing these results with last week’s questions, respondents expect 2012 to be similar 2011 for Julia Gillard (net -37% next year compared to -36% this year) and Tony Abbott (-14% next year, -17% this year). However, Bob Brown is expected to have a worse year in 2012 (net -23%) than this year (+5%).
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Bob Brown, Julia Gillard, kevin rudd, malcolm turnbull, Past Year, politicians, Polling, polls, tony abbott
The Past Year – Politicians
Q. Has it been a good or bad year for each of the following politicians?
Total good (Dec 10)
Total bad (Dec 10)
Total good Total bad Very good Good Neither good nor bad Bad Very bad Don’t know Julia Gillard 49% 25% 21% 57% 3% 18% 16% 35% 22% 6% Bob Brown 38% 21% 32% 27% 8% 24% 26% 14% 13% 16% Tony Abbott 30% 33% 21% 38% 2% 19% 32% 25% 13% 8% Malcolm Turnbull 10% 43% 17% 23% 2% 15% 45% 16% 7% 17% Kevin Rudd 10% 70% 31% 30% 5% 26% 31% 22% 8% 7% Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Total good Total bad Total good Total bad Total good Total bad Total good Total bad Julia Gillard 21% 57% 41% 36% 10% 77% 29% 43% Bob Brown 32% 27% 37% 19% 25% 40% 66% 4% Tony Abbott 21% 38% 9% 57% 39% 18% 7% 64% Malcolm Turnbull 17% 23% 18% 21% 18% 23% 23% 22% Kevin Rudd 31% 30% 37% 24% 31% 38% 29% 25% Overall, only Bob Brown (32%/27%) was thought to have had a good year. Respondents were divided on whether Kevin Rudd has had a good year (31%/30%). Only 21% thought Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott had a good year in 2011. 2011 was considered worse than 2010 for each of the party leaders. Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd were considered to have had a somewhat better year compared to 2010.
Among their own voters thought, 66% (down 2%) thought Bob Brown had a good year, 41% (down 28%) thought Julia Gillard had a good year and 39% (down 5%) thought Tony Abbott has had a good year.
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ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, political trust, political truth, politicians, Politicians Lying
Politicians Lying
Q. Which statement best reflects your view:
Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens When a politician makes a statement or commitment they should stick to it no matter what 17% 12% 21% 16% As situations change, it is reasonable that politicians change their positions 47% 65% 36% 61% Politicians almost always lie – it’s naive to think otherwise 36% 23% 43% 23% The most common position taken by respondents is that ‘as situations change, it is reasonable that politicians change their positions’ (47%). Labor voters are the most likely to adopt this position.
Thirty six (36%) of respondents took the view that ‘politicians almost always like – it’s naïve to think otherwise’, and Coalition voters are the most likely to take this view.
Only 17% of respondents felt that ‘when a politician make a statement or commitment they should stick to it not matter what’, with Coalition voters the most likely to adopt this view.
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ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, politicians, Politicians Lie, Politicians trust, truth
Circumstances in which Politicians Lie
Q. In which of the following situations do you think it is acceptable for a politician to lie:
The most acceptable situation in which respondents condoned lying is ‘where an individual’s safety is concerned’ (43%) and ‘when the information impacts on national security’ (42%). Twenty four (24%) regard it as acceptable to lie ‘when the information impacts on the nation’s economic interests’ and 20% see it as acceptable to lie ‘when new information about a situation comes to hand’.
The most unacceptable circumstance in which a politician can lie is ‘where a change of position is required for political considerations’ (81% not acceptable).
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2011, 2011 outlook, Bob Brown, EMC, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Julia Gillard, kevin rudd, Labor, Liberal, malcolm turnbull, politicians, tony abbott
2011 Outlook – Politicians
Q. Do you think 2011 will be a good or bad year for each of the following politicians?
Total good Total poor Very good Good Neither good nor bad Bad Very bad Don’t know Julia Gillard 28% 36% 5% 23% 23% 26% 10% 12% Tony Abbott 29% 27% 5% 24% 32% 20% 7% 13% Kevin Rudd 21% 30% 3% 18% 35% 21% 9% 14% Malcolm Turnbull 20% 21% 3% 17% 41% 17% 4% 18% Bob Brown 20% 30% 4% 16% 31% 18% 12% 19% There were no strong expectations one way or the other that 2011 would be good or bad for politicians.
Overall, there were negative expectations for Julia Gillard (-8% net), Kevin Rudd (-9%) and Bob Brown (-10%) while respondents were divided over Tony Abbott (+2%) and Malcolm Turnbull (-1%).
Comparing these results with last week’s questions, respondents expect 2011 to be worse than 2010 for Julia Gillard (net +24% in 2010 compared to
-8% in 2011) and Bob Brown (+17% in 2010/-10% in 2011).